Vehicle Hauling Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A vehicle hauling apparatus for hauling a second vehicle with a first vehicle includes: a hitch bar for attaching the apparatus to a hitch receiver; a first rail mounted and arranged vertically to the hitch bar; a second rail mounted and arranged to slide vertically along the first rail; a jacking mechanism connecting the first rail to the second rail so as to lift and lower the second rail; a first element of a pivot attached to the second rail; a wheel cradle in which a tire of the second vehicle may be seated; and a second element of the pivot attached to the wheel cradle; whereby the tire of the second vehicle may be rolled along a ground surface into the wheel cradle while the wheel cradle rests on the ground surface and then be raised into a position for hauling by the jacking mechanism. A vehicle hitch jacking accessory, includes: a hitch bar for attaching the vehicle hitch jacking accessory to a hitch receiver of a vehicle; a first rail mounted and arranged vertically to the hitch bar; a second rail mounted and arranged to slide vertically along the first rail; a jacking mechanism connecting the first rail to the second rail so as to lift and lower the second rail; and a secondary hitch receiver attached to the second rail, whereby a second accessory having a hitch bar may be attached to the vehicle hitch jacking accessory.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to devices for hauling or traileringmotorcycles or similar vehicles behind a car, truck, motorhome, or thelike equipped with a conventional hitch receiver.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment, a vehicle hauling apparatus includes: ahitch bar for attaching the apparatus to a hitch receiver; a first railmounted and arranged vertically to the hitch bar; a second rail mountedand arranged to slide vertically along the first rail; a jackingmechanism connecting the first rail to the second rail so as to lift andlower the second rail; a first element of a pivot attached to the secondrail; a wheel cradle in which a vehicle tire may be seated; and a secondelement of the pivot attached to the wheel cradle; whereby the vehicletire may be rolled along a ground surface into the wheel cradle whilethe wheel cradle rests on the ground surface and then raised into aposition for hauling by the jacking mechanism. According to onevariation, the jacking mechanism is a leadscrew having a head and athreaded shaft and a follower nut threaded onto the threaded shaft.Other variations of the jacking mechanism include a hand ormachine-driven winch and strap or cable or a hydraulic jack to raise andlower the second rail. According to another variation, the pivot is apair of pintle and gudgeon hinges; whereby the wheel cradle may bedetached from the second rail. In a further variation of the jackingmechanism, a horizontal flange in an upper portion of the first railincludes a bearing surface defining a hole receiving the threaded shaftof the leadscrew and supporting the head of the leadscrew; and aretaining pin extends through holes in the first rail and vertical slotsin the second rail; whereby when either the towed or towing vehicleencounter a roadway imperfection, the second rail may move through arange of movement to prevent damage to the tow vehicle and motorcycle,combined.

In the following description reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown exampleimplementations. It should be understood that other implementations arepossible, and that these example implementations are intended to bemerely illustrative.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view with partial cutaways illustrating the maincomponents of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view with partial cutaways illustrating the hitch,fixed rail, and lift rail mechanisms of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view with partial cutaways illustrating the hitch andfixed rail mechanism, including the lead screw.

FIG. 4 is a side view with partial cutaways illustrating the lift railand follower nut mechanisms of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the lift rail and follower nut mechanisms of theembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wheel cradle and associatedcomponents of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view with partial cutaways illustrating the hitch,fixed rail, and lift rail mechanisms of another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 7, with a rackattachment.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 7, showing additionalfeatures of the rack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following section describes in detail an exemplary embodiment of theinvention illustrating by example its principles of construction andusage.

Referring to the drawings, the elements of the exemplary embodiment,their relationships to each other, and several alternatives are nowdescribed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motorcycle hauling apparatus of this embodimentis designed for attachment to a conventional hitch receiver. A hitch bar5 is provided to connect the apparatus to the hitch receiver (not shown)of a tow vehicle. The hitch bar 5 may be made in any standard size andshould have a hole 22 through which to receive a retention pin, as isconventional. The hitch bar 5 supports a first rail, fixed rail 4, thatin turn supports a second rail, lift rail 19, through a lift mechanismincluding a leadscrew 1 and a follower nut 2.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, along with FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5, showingthe rails, leadscrew, and follower nut in more detail. The leadscrew 1is supported by leadscrew head at the top of fixed rail 4 by a top plate21 having a clearance hole for receiving the leadscrew 1 shaft, butsmall enough such that the top plate 21 provides a bearing surfaceagainst which the head of the leadscrew 1 bears. The follower nut 2 issecurely fixed to an interior surface of the lift rail 19, for exampleby being welded in place, or by being captured within flanges welded tothe interior surface of lift rail 19 for retaining the follower nut 2,such that operating the leadscrew 1 will raise and lower the followernut 2 and consequently raise and lower the lift rail 19 to which it isaffixed. The combined system of hitch bar 5, fixed rail 4, lift rail 19,and top plate 21 is made of a material and has a cross-sectionsufficient to support the weight carried through the foregoing elements.The leadscrew 1 and follower nut 2 should be able to lift and lower thelift rail 19 by 11″ or such other distance as to permit the system toraise a wheel cradle 8 (described below) from ground level to a safelevel from which to tow a motorcycle or other vehicle secured thereto(also, as described below). Other embodiments may move the lift rail 19by a greater or lesser distance. Also, in other embodiments a winch andcable or strap or a hydraulic jack could be used in place of leadscrew 1and nut 2.

For safety purposes, referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, when the lift rail19 is in the raised position, the fixed rail 4 and the lift rail 19 canbe pinned together by inserting into impact accommodation slot 6 ahardened steel bolt 7 secured by a locknut 18, or alternatively byinserting into impact accommodation slot 6 a clevis pin secured by anE-clip, spring pin, or the like. The leadscrew 1 is not supported frombelow against forces that would raise the head of leadscrew 1 above thebearing surface of the top plate 21. The impact accommodation slot 6thus accommodates a travel distance suitable to absorb minor contactsbetween the lower portions of the apparatus and the ground while underway, but not excessive movement that would damage the hauled or haulingvehicle or the apparatus. An impact accommodation slot 6 having a lengthof about 2½″ is suitable. In some embodiments, a somewhat longer orshorter slot may be used. While simple holes would provide one desiredsafety function of preventing the lift rail 19 from completely droppingaway from the fixed rail 4 in the event of a failure of the leadscrew 1or related components, such an arrangement would not provide relief inthe event of ground contact by the apparatus while under way.

Attachment and construction of the wheel cradle 8 and related componentsto the rail system described above is now described with reference toFIGS. 1 and 6. Using a pair of pintle and gudgeon hinges comprised ofseveral components (10, 11, 12, 13, and 17, described in greater detailbelow), the lift rail 19 supports a wheel cradle 8 for receiving a frontor rear wheel of a motorcycle or other vehicle to be hauled. While thisexample is given in the context of hauling a motorcycle, other vehiclescan be hauled by similar apparatus. If the vehicle to be hauled has onewheel at the end to be lifted off the ground, then the apparatus mayinclude one wheel cradle 8. If the vehicle to be hauled has two wheelsat the end to be lifted off the ground, or two motorcycles are to behauled side-by-side, then the apparatus may include two wheel cradles 8.In such an embodiment, two separate systems each including a fixed rail4 and lift rail 19, together with the associated components describedabove, may be connected to the hitch bar 5. Alternatively, a singlefixed rail 4 and lift rail 19 could support two sets of gudgeon hingepairs separated horizontally by a cross-bar or the like to allowattachment of two wheel cradles 8 separated as the gudgeon hinge setsare.

To ensure a good fit with various wheel sizes, the wheel cradle 8 maycome in a variety of widths and/or depths accommodating the variouswheel sizes. Alternatively, the wheel cradle 8 may receive wheel supportbrackets 9 fitted to the various wheel sizes, and adapted to securelymount within the wheel cradle 8.

The wheel cradle 8 and wheel support brackets 9 may be constructed ofsheet metal or other materials of suitable strength and weight, castaluminum or other metal or material of suitable strength, box beams,L-beams, or other structural configurations from which the wheel cradleshape 8 can be formed and which have sufficient strength and low enoughweight to perform the task.

The lift rail 19 is first lowered to bring the wheel cradle 8 to theground, in order to load the wheel into the wheel cradle 8. The vehicleis moved to roll the wheel along the ground, directly into the wheelcradle 8. The wheel is secured into the wheel cradle 8 by a strap 14 andtensioner 15 system connected to one or more wheel support brackets orother suitable attachment points that can exert sufficient force tosubstantially prevent movement of the wheel within the wheel cradle 8once cinched down. Alternatively, a clamp system of metal or othersuitable material or a pin secured through holes in the wheel supportbrackets and passing through the wheel could be used to positivelysecure the wheel. Then the wheel cradle 8 can be raised to the haulingposition by operating the leadscrew 1 until the hauling position isreached. At that point, the bolt 7 should be inserted and secured bylock nut 18. Alternatively, as previously mentioned, a clevis pin couldbe inserted and secured by an E-clip, spring pin or the like. Thetension on the leadscrew 1 can then be released.

In another embodiment, the wheel cradle 8 could include a folding orauxiliary ramp structure so that the wheel cradle 8 need not be loweredcompletely to the ground for loading.

The construction of the pintle and gudgeon hinges (10, 11, 12, 13, and17) is now described in greater detail. The pintle and gudgeon hingesserve two purposes. They allow the hauled vehicle to track turns,curves, and other maneuvers by the hauling vehicle, and they allow thewheel cradle 8 and related components to be removed from the apparatusfor easier carriage when not hauling a vehicle.

The top hinge includes a pintle 10, 20, 12, and 13; the bottom hingeincludes a pintle 10, 20, and 17. Each pintle is supported by a mountingplate 10 and a gusset 20 or other suitable structure to support theweight of the wheel cradle 8 and tow. The pin of the top hinge is a longbolt 12, whose threaded end accommodates locking nut 13 that is threadedonto bolt 12 after assembly to corresponding gudgeons as describedbelow. When assembled, the locking nut 13 is turned onto the end of thelong bolt 12 to prevent the hinge from separating under vertical loadingfrom below, such as when going over a bump. The locking nut 13 is notmade tight, so the hinge does not bind, but locking nut 13 is of a typethat will not back off on its own. The bottom hinge simply includes ashort pin 17.

The pins 12 and 17 of the pintles are each inserted into a hole 23 in agudgeon 11. Each gudgeon 11 is substantially a reinforced plate with ahole 23 to accommodate the corresponding pintle pin 12 and 17.

When the apparatus is configured for hauling a motorcycle or similarvehicle by its rear wheel, handlebar straps 16 or other bracing, such asadjustable bars, should be employed to control and hold substantiallyconstant the angle between the front wheel and the orientation of thevehicle being hauled.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which shows another embodiment of theinvention. In this embodiment, hitch bar 5 supports fixed rail 4, byU-bracket 71 and fasteners 72. Any suitably strong support system may beused in place of bracket 71 and fasteners 72. Fasteners 72 may be bolts,rivets, welds, or any other suitable fastener system. Hitch bar 5 isadjustable up and down. A leadscrew 1 is supported by leadscrew head atthe top of fixed rail 4 by a top plate 21 having a clearance hole forreceiving the leadscrew 1 shaft, but small enough such that the topplate 21 provides a bearing surface against which the head of theleadscrew 1 bears. The follower nut 2 is securely fixed to an interiorsurface of the lift rail 19, for example by being welded in place, or bybeing captured within flanges welded to the interior surface of liftrail 19 for retaining the follower nut 2, such that operating theleadscrew 1 will raise and lower the follower nut 2 and consequentlyraise and lower the lift rail 19 to which it is affixed. The combinedsystem of hitch bar 5, fixed rail 4, lift rail 19, and top plate 21 ismade of a material and has a cross-section sufficient to support theweight carried through the foregoing elements. The leadscrew 1 andfollower nut 2 should be able to lift and lower the lift rail 19 by 16″or such other distance as to permit the system to raise an attachmenthitch receiver 73 (described below) from ground level to a safe level atwhich an attachment fixed to the attachment hitch receiver 73 isoperated (also, as described below). In other embodiments a winch andcable or strap or a hydraulic jack could be used in place of leadscrew 1and nut 2, as described above in connection with other embodiments. Inother embodiments an electric motor can be used with leadscrew 1 and nut2, as described above in connection with other embodiments. Attachmenthitch receiver 73 is attached to the lift rail 19 by welding or othersuitable attachment means, perhaps including gusset 74 welded into placefor additional strength. Gusset 74 is particularly useful because italso provides a support point at hole 75 (used as also further describedbelow).

FIG. 8 shows the hitch and lift system of FIG. 7, combined with a rackattachment, as now described. The rack attachment includes a rack hitchbar 81 that attaches the rack to the hitch receiver 73. The rack hitchbar carries rack support plates 82, to which rack frame (See FIG. 9, 91)is attached by rack connectors 83. A wheel cradle 84 is supported fromthe rack frame 91 through a wheel cradle pivot pin 85 suspended fromwheel cradle supports 86. Support point hole 75 receives one handlebarstrap 87, while a second support point hole 88 receives anotherhandlebar strap 87.

Also seen in FIG. 9 are the supports for the vehicle to be carried bythe rack. A wheel retention strap and tensioner 92 keeps the rear wheelsecure in the wheel cradle 84. Wheels are supported by wheel supportbars 93 during and after loading, while flat loading plate 94facilitates rolling of the vehicle onto and off of the rack when thelift is lowered to ground level.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle hauling apparatus for hauling a secondvehicle with a first vehicle, comprising: a hitch bar for attaching theapparatus to a hitch receiver of the first vehicle; a first rail mountedand arranged vertically to the hitch bar; a second rail mounted andarranged to slide vertically along the first rail; a jacking mechanismconnecting the first rail to the second rail so as to lift and lower thesecond rail; a first element of a pivot attached to the second rail; awheel cradle in which a tire of the second vehicle may be seated; and asecond element of the pivot attached to the wheel cradle; whereby thetire of the second vehicle may be rolled along a ground surface into thewheel cradle while the wheel cradle rests on the ground surface and thenbe raised into a position for hauling by the jacking mechanism.
 2. Thevehicle hauling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the jacking mechanismfurther comprises: a leadscrew having a head and a threaded shaft; and afollower nut threaded onto the threaded shaft.
 3. The vehicle hitchjacking accessory of claim 2, wherein the jacking mechanism furthercomprises: a winch and cable.
 4. The vehicle hitch jacking accessory ofclaim 2, wherein the jacking mechanism further comprises: a winch andstrap.
 5. The vehicle hitch jacking accessory of claim 2, wherein thejacking mechanism further comprises: a hydraulic jack.
 6. The vehiclehitch jacking accessory of claim 2, wherein the jacking mechanismfurther comprises: an electric motor.
 7. The vehicle hauling apparatusof claim 1, wherein the pivot comprises: a pair of pintle and gudgeonhinges; whereby the wheel cradle may be detached from the second rail.8. The vehicle hauling apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: ahorizontal flange in an upper portion of the first rail including abearing surface defining a hole receiving the threaded shaft of theleadscrew and supporting the head of the leadscrew; a support fixing thefollower nut to the second rail; and a clevis pin extending throughholes in the first rail and vertical slots in the second rail; wherebywhen either one or both of the first and second vehicles encounter aroadway imperfection, the second rail may move through a range ofmovement to prevent damage to either one or both of the first and secondvehicles.
 9. A vehicle hitch jacking accessory, comprising: a hitch barfor attaching the vehicle hitch jacking accessory to a hitch receiver ofa vehicle; a first rail mounted and arranged vertically to the hitchbar; a second rail mounted and arranged to slide vertically along thefirst rail; a jacking mechanism connecting the first rail to the secondrail so as to lift and lower the second rail; and a secondary hitchreceiver attached to the second rail, whereby a second accessory havinga hitch bar may be attached to the vehicle hitch jacking accessory. 10.The vehicle hitch jacking accessory of claim 9, wherein the jackingmechanism further comprises: a leadscrew having a head and a threadedshaft; and a follower nut threaded onto the threaded shaft.
 11. Thevehicle hitch jacking accessory of claim 9, wherein the jackingmechanism further comprises: a winch and cable.
 12. The vehicle hitchjacking accessory of claim 9, wherein the jacking mechanism furthercomprises: a winch and strap.
 13. The vehicle hitch jacking accessory ofclaim 9, wherein the jacking mechanism further comprises: a hydraulicjack.
 14. The vehicle hitch jacking accessory of claim 9, wherein thejacking mechanism further comprises: an electric motor.
 15. The vehiclehitch jacking accessory of claim 8, further comprising: a secondaccessory including: a hitch bar fitting the secondary hitch receiver;and a platform for supporting a vehicle to be carried.